I'm Happy I Missed!

[Whip]

Just returned home from a wonderful week in the Manitoba bush.  It had been a number of years since I have been on a spring bear hunt, and this trip was just the tonic I needed.

The trip was arranged by my good friends Irv Prough from North Dakota and Kevin Shea from Montana.  It sure was good to see them both again!   There were a total of nine hunters in camp including my long time hunting partner Ohne Raasch from WI and old friend Paul V. from Mass.  Ohne and I drove up and picked up Paul along the way at the St. Paul airport.  The rest of the hunters in camp were new to me but quickly seemed like old friends as well.

The first morning we spilt up and went out to check baits.  Spring came late to the north country this year, and not all baits were yet showing activity.  After checking baits we gathered to compare notes and draw cards to determine who would hunt where.  



The Ace of Diamonds gets first pick of the baits.  
 

[Keith Zimmerman]

This is going to be good!

[Greyfox54]

I can't believe Whip missed !

[awbowman]

Manitoba and good friends, I'll be watching this one
 

[awbowman]

Probably missed the first bear ..... then proceeded to killed a 500#er

[Tsalt]

[Whip]

The majority of Manitoba bears are of the typical black color, but there are also a fair number of color phase bears ranging anywhere from chocolate to blonde.  Before leaving on the trip I had a goal of any good mature color phase bear, but I sure wouldn't be able to pass up a giant blackie.

My first night on stand saw one visitor, and of course it was black.  I wasn't even tempted to take the bow off the hook.


The bait had a trail camera set on it and I knew from the pictures that a nice light chocolate bear had been at the bait.  On the second day out I went in by myself to hang a stand in a different tree.  After baiting and hanging the stand I returned to the truck to change clothes and retreive my gear.  When I walked back in to the bait I looked to my left to see the brown one 20 yards away watching me.  It quickly ran off.  Darn it!!

Nothing I could do but to climb in the tree and hope for the best.  Ten minutes later it reappeared, but would not come in to the bait and stood just out of range seeming to be watching me in the tree. I'm sure he had watched me hang the new stand and knew exactly where I was.  He slowly filtered out of sight.  At 7:30pm he returned, but once again stayed back in the brush watching the strange guy perched in the tree.

The next few days I saw nothing but black bears on the bait except for a couple of colored cubs.  My brown buddy had seemed to have disappeared and didn't even show up on the trail camera.

Here are some random pictures from both the trail camera and my hand held.





I called this guy Rocky Balboa.  He was one ugly looking bear with a face only a mother could love!


These two entertained me for a couple of hours with their posturing, growling, chasing, and all out fighting for position.  The more aggressive of the two was actually a bit smaller and would not leave the bait alone.  

[4dogs]

[Matty]

Awesome... That one bear is kinda ugly. Good name. Rocky balboa!! Hahah
Love me some Kevin Shea too...
 

[Whip]

As the week was winding down the brown one had yet to reappear.  I also had not seen what I would call a true monster black either in person or on the trail camera.  Saturday would be our last day to hunt, and on the drive out to hunt on Friday afternoon my resolve was beginning to weaken. I do enjoy bear meat, and decided that if I wanted to take a bear home I had better stop being quite so picky.

I was dropped off by our guide Sandy and as he rebaited the barrel I climbed into the stand.
When I settled in I realized I had forgotten my hat in the truck.  I climbed back down to retrieve it while Sandy finished his chores.
 

The truck was only 50 yards away and as I cleared the brush to it I saw a nice black bear run across the road right next to the truck.  We had apparently bumped a bruin from the bait when we arrived.

Bears are notoriously poor mathematicians, and I hoped this one would be back as soon as Sandy left.  The sound of the truck had barely faded when I looked to my left to see a bear standing on the trail headed to the bait.  He was standing in an opening and was actually closer to me on the trail than he would be at the bait.  I decided to take the shot.  

Just as a reached full draw the bear started to turn to leave. I rushed things a bit and dropped the string as he turned.  My initial impression was a bit low and forward, but hoped it would be good.  But as the bear ran off his reaction didn't seem quite like a mortally hit bear and my arrow was stuck deep in the dirt where he had stood.  From my stand I couldn't see any blood on it and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

I decided to wait a few minutes before climbing down to confirm what had happened.  I had pulled the SD card from the trail camera when we arrived that afternoon and inserted it into my camera to review while I waited.  

As I started to review the images a black bear head appeared 10 feet below me directly between my feet!  The bear I had just shot at had a mostly black muzzle.  The one below me was Rocky Balboa with his distincly colored muzzle, and obviously a different bear.
Here's Rocky again.


Now I was stuck in my stand and couldn't get down to check my arrow.  So while Rocky fed his ugly face I went back to looking through the images from the trail camera.  I found that the brown bear had been back!  He had been there first thing at daylight, and again at 10am, 1pm, and 3:30.  He was apparently hungry!  There was also another good black that had visited frequently throughout the day.

Eventually Rocky left, and I climbed down to retrieve my arrow.  My fears were confirmed - the arrow showed no signs of a hit.  

I hadn't been back in my stand more than 20 minutes when another bear appeared.  It was a black, and had a similar colored muzzle to the bear I had missed.  But I was fairly certain that it was a different bear as it didn't appear to be as round as the first one and the head not quite as wide.  It really didn't matter though.  The trail camera images had restored my resolve.  I would wait for the brown one or go home with nothing.

The most recent visitor finished his dinner and left me alone once again.  Shortly after 8pm I looked over my shoulder and caught movement in the brush.  Brownie was here!  But he slowly turned and left, and I wondered if once again he was too smart to come in while I sat in the tree.  My wait was short this time though.  Ten minutes later his head appeared directly under my stand in the same spot that Rocky had stood earlier.  He slowly crept in to the open and approached the bait.

There was no question this was the bear that I wanted and I had a serious talk with myself to make a good shot.  I am a firm believer that  broadside is the best shot on bears and promissed that I would wait for it.  

 

My patience was rewarded with him laying broadside on the ground.  As he reached forward toward the barrel my string came back.  I hesitated briefly to confirm a solid anchor before watching my arrow bury to the fletching.  There was no doubt in my mind this time, and the trail camera even captured the moment as he leaped over the log.
 

[steadman]

Congrats Joe!! Looks like a great bear  

[wooddamon1]

   

[Whip]

As he ran out of sight he turned left on the logging road and disappeared.  I could hear ragged gurgling followed by one low moan and I knew it was over.  Fifty yards away he lay in the middle of the road.  The only dragging on this one would be to arrange him for pictures.

[Dirtybird]

Looks good Joe.

[Ray Lyon]

Oh my, what a trail camera shot.                          

Looking forward to the story wrap-up

[Whip]

With one more day before we needed to leave for home we took a little time to try the fishing.  If I have any regrets on this trip it is that we didn't get to do more of this!  Cast after cast resulted in a hungry nothern hitting everything we threw.  The action died quickly as the sun dropped toward the horizon, but in not much more than an hour we probably boated in excess of 40 fish.    

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Joe what a great story!!! great looking color phase and you got the arrow in him on camera!!!! how rare is that!! You do have the luck of the Irish in you. Great day for a great guy
!!

[FerretWYO]

Awesome Whip. To awesome. Congrats my friend.

[beachbowhunter]

Great bear, super pictures (especially the classic hero shot), well told story.  Thanks Joe!!

[varmint101]

Congrats on your color phase! Great story and what a cool trail cam picture!